Albert Chong concludes photography lecture series
Albert Chong will give a free public lecture April 24, 2003, at California State University, Monterey Bay, the final talk in a series on Contemporary Photography: Issues and Images of Race and Representation.
Chong was born in Kingston, Jamaica, of African and Chinese ancestry; his work is imbued with references relating to both cultures. He uses family photographs, religious icons and animal remains to explore ritual as it is translated into art. His photographs are highly individualized, spiritually oriented images and he likens his task to that of an archeologist in unearthing the past to explore family history.
ChongÕs work not only reflects his rich heritage, it is fully grounded in it, and is his way of honoring the myriad spirits that have infused his life. His work, he says, is an offering to his ancestors. In his black-and-white photos, dried flowers, feathers, antique silverware, shells, masks and bones mingle with old family pictures. The images act as private shrines.
Knowing the symbolic meanings of ChongÕs materials is helpful, but not necessary. It takes no cultural decoding to appreciate the lush textures or to sense the spiritual presence in his prints. ChongÕs connections to past generations and distant homelands resonate loud and clear.
His work has been widely exhibited nationally and internationally in venues such as the Ansel Adams Center for Photography in San Francisco, in South Africa and Havana. He was awarded the 1998 Guggenheim fellowship in photography. Currently, he is on the faculty at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The photography series, sponsored by the universityÕs Institute for Visual and Public Art, has brought Dawoud Bey and Tony Gleaton to campus this spring.
The public is invited to this free event, which will be held in the Music Hall, Building 30, on Sixth Avenue.
Directions to the university and a map are available on the universityÕs website at csumb.edu. The university wishes to make this program accessible to people with disabilities. Anyone with disability-related needs is asked to call Alison Clifford at 582-3130 one week prior to the event.
What: Lecture by photographer Albert Chong
When: 6 p.m., April 24, 2003
Where: CSUMB Music Hall, Building 30, on Sixth Avenue
Cost: Free, but $1.50 parking fee must be paid
Information: Alison Clifford, 582-3130.